Canadian Fuels Association

Bank check processing is an important application of document analysis and recognition. Recognising the literal amounts from the check images is challenging and an open research problem. In this paper, we present our work on Arabic bank check literal amounts' sub-word recognition using four sets of features and three classifiers namely: support vector machine (SVM), neural network (NN), and decision tree forest (DTF) classifiers. In addition, we investigated two different approaches for classifier fusion. We tested our system on the CENPARMI database of Arabic bank check images. Our recognition results outperform previous published results on the same database.

Core Ideas Nitrogen rate had a greater impact on turfgrass quality of zoysiagrass when the grass was actively growing, but the effect of mowing height was only significant during spring green‐up. Nitrogen rate of 171 kg ha−1 was suitable for consistent turf performance in zoysiagrass and the effect of increasing N rate from 171 to 268 kg per ha was minimal. Japanese lawngrass and manilagrass can be successfully maintained at 2.5 or 5.0 cm and 0.6 or 1.2 cm, respectively, for equivalent performance during the majority of the year; however, during spring green‐up, the lower mowing height may deliver better turf performance. As new zoysiagrass (Zoysia spp.) cultivars are released, field studies on N responses and mowing heights conducted over several years under different environments are needed to determine best management practices. This study was initiated to (i) characterize a general response (color, density, turf quality) to N fertilization rate, mowing height, and their interactions among zoysiagrass cultivars; and (ii) establish appropriate mowing height and N rate recommendations for each of the cultivars studied. Four Japanese lawngrass cultivars (Z. japonica Steud.) and four manilagrass cultivars (Z. matrella L. Merr.) were evaluated in Citra, FL, for 4 yr and in Raleigh, NC, for 2 yr under three N rates (73, 171, and 268 kg ha−1 yr−1) and two mowing heights (2.5 and 5.0 cm for Japanese lawngrass; 0.6 and 1.2 cm for manilagrass). Genetic differences were evident among the zoysiagrass cultivars. Nitrogen rate had a greater impact on most of the observed characteristics when the grass was actively growing, but the effect of mowing height was only significant during spring green‐up. The medium N rate was suitable for consistent turf performance throughout the year and the effect of increasing N rate from 171 kg ha−1 to 268 kg ha−1 was minimal. Japanese lawngrass and manilagrass can be successfully maintained at 2.5 or 5.0 cm and 0.6 or 1.2 cm, respectively, for equivalent performance during the majority of the year. However, during spring green‐up, the lower mowing height may deliver better turf performance.

One of the most used methods for tritium recovery from different sources of tritiated water is based on the combination between Combined Electrolysis Catalytic Exchange (CECE) and Cryogenic Distillation (CD) processes. The development, i.e. configuration, design and performance testing of critical components, of a tritium recovery system based on the combination CECE-CD is essential for both JET and ITER. For JET, a Water Detritiation System (WDS) is not only needed to process tritiated water which has already been accumulated from operation, but also for the tritiated water which will be generated during decommissioning. For ITER, the WDS is one of the key systems to control the tritium content in the effluents streams, to recover as much tritium as possible and consequently to minimize the impact on the environment. A cryogenic distillation facility with the aim to investigate the trade-off between CECE-CD, to validate different components and mathematical modelling software is current under development at Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe (TLK) as an extension of the existing CECE facility.

The effective thermal conductivity of a bed of lithium zirconate spheres in helium has been measured over the ranges 0 < P < 200 kPa and 600 < T < 1500 K. The data are fitted to the equation k = ap + bpT3. At 100 kPa, the thermal conductivity is given by k(T) = 0.69 + 2.2 × 10-10 T3 W/m·K-1. A table of values for ap and bp is provided for other pressure settings. Values of the near-wall effective thermal conductivity are estimated from the data.

The safety advantage of next-step fusion machines, such as ITER, and of future fusion power reactors, comes not so much from the engineered safety features incorporated into the design, as it does from the inherent, or intrinsic, features of the machine/reactor. The key intrinsic feature is the small quantity of radioactive fuel (tritium) and its low health hazard. The radioactive health hazard is small enough that even the largest unmitigated release would produce offsite consequences that are small. Nevertheless, engineered safety features are necessary to reduce the probability of an unmitigated release to a small enough value, such that the resulting risk is within risk targets. The risk targets are established such that the total accident risk is not greater than the risk from normal operation. Risk targets are also useful in determining the performance requirements for the engineered safety features. Such a risk-based approach should be considered when developing fusion safety requirements, taking account of the low radiation hazards involved.

A new experimental system has been constructed to test ITER relevant distillation columns and related cryogenic distillation (CD) hardware and control systems. These columns are used to purify tritium in the ITER fuel cycle. The ITER test column reported here has a diameter of about 30 mm and a packed length of approximately 150 cm. It can operate with a hydrogen isotope (Q2) boilup of about 60 watts. Two 30 W refrigeration systems were coupled together to deliver as close as possible to 60 watts of cooling. The separation performance of the column was determined by accurately measuring the tritium concentration in the feed and product streams using a mixture of D2 and DT gas. Conditions which yield a column theoretical plate height as low as 2.05 cm. and a plate inventory of 0.118 moles are reported. The goal of this research program is to measure the performance of ITER relevant columns, packings, condensers, and reboilers in order to minimize hydrogen (Q2) and tritium holdup and to show that ITER objectives can be met with smaller diameter and lower tritium inventory columns than have previously been considered.

On August 24, 1993, the gas chromatography based Isotopic Separation System (ISS) built in Canada by CFFTP was delivered to the Forschungszentrum in Karlsruhe (FZK) to form part of the Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe (TLK) infrastructure. The system was successfully reassembled at Karlsruhe, and has been commissioned with a mixture of hydrogen and deuterium. To date, four experimental campaigns have been carried out which show that at liquid nitrogen temperatures, the system is capable of separating 120 I batches of H2, HD and D2. During 1995, the ISS will complete licensing and will be prepared for tritium service.

For the Deuterium-Tritium (D-T) phase of High Power Pulsed (HPP) Operations in TFTR all vacuum system pumping gas effluents from the Torus Pumping System (TVPS), Neutral Beam System (NBVS), and Diagnostic Systems (DVS), are routed through a Tritium Cleanup System (TCS) prior to release into the environment. The effluents are collected and held in one of two Gas Holding Tanks (GHTs), then batch processed through the Tritium Cleanup System. Low pressures (relative to the pump exhausts) are maintained in the GHT's to guard against tritium release and special precautions are taken to prevent the oil from being scavenged out of the exhaust side of the vacuum pumping systems, into the GHT's and ultimately into the Tritium Cleanup System. In order to prevent oil contamination, a pump exhaust pressure control system has been designed and installed between the mechanical pumps and the Gas Holding Tanks. This control system designated the Vacuum Exhaust Active Pressure Control (VEAPC), is designed to maintain all mechanical pump exhaust pressures at acceptable levels over the entire operating pressure range of the GHT's (250-750 torr). We will describe the systems active pressure control butterfly valve and the ancillary hardware and controls. In addition, we will discuss the operational performance of the system on TFTR.

The final hardware modifications for tritium operation have been completed for the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). These activities include preparation of the tritium gas handling system, installation of additional neutron shielding, conversion of the toroidal field coil cooling system from water to a Fluorinet{sup {trademark}} system, modification of the vacuum system to handle tritium, preparation and testing of the neutral beam system for tritium operation and a final deuterium-deuterium (D-D) run to simulate expected deuterium-tritium (D-T) operation. Testing of the tritium system with low concentration tritium has successfully begun. Simulation of trace and high power D-T experiments using D-D have been performed. The physics objectives of D-T operation are production of {approximately} 10 megawatts (MW) of fusion power, evaluation of confinement and heating in deuterium-tritium plasmas, evaluation of {alpha}-particle heating of electrons, and collective effects driven by alpha particles and testing of diagnostics for confined {alpha}-particles. Experimental results and theoretical modeling in support of the D-T experiments are reviewed.

Specific heat capacity data for lithium metazirconate (Li2ZrO3) are summarized, including new measurements, and a correlation is recommended for 300 to 1300 K.